The Woman of Courage
A Womanist Reading of Proverbs 31
By (author) Mmapula Diana Kebaneilwe
<em>The Woman of Courage </em> Mmapula Diana Kebaneilwe provides a brilliant contextual and inter-textual womanist analysis of Proverbs 31:10-31. Kebaneilwe critically engages with this well-known pericope’s intertextual context with other biblical texts from the same era. As she renders the Hebrew <em>eshet hayil</em> she questions conventional patriarchal readings of Prov. 31 and emphasizes the agency tenacity and economic might of the ‘woman of courage.’
Kebaneilwe shows that the woman who is celebrated in this biblical text lives in a culture with accentuated gender roles which resonate with the lived experiences of many Batswana women in many ways and at different levels. Like Botswana culture ancient Israelite culture as demonstrated throughout the Hebrew Bible is agrarian patriarchal and androcentric. In both worlds a woman’s worth and dignity are closely associated with her socially prescribed and labour-intensive roles of wife and mother.
This monograph demonstrates that <em>eshet-hayil</em> is impressive to her oppressors including her husband and the patriarchs in higher authority who are urged by the overarching voice of the narrator to hold her in high esteem and applaud her for her work and position. The implied praise of the men at the gate shows that the Woman of Courage has transcended one of the fundamental limitations of the patriarchal system which was that she could never be recognised praised or rewarded for her work.
By emphasizing African womanist viewpoints Kebaneilwe shows that Prov. 31 is not only a critique of patriarchal biblical ideas about women but also-and perhaps more significantly-a text of empowerment for modern women and everyone else because it provides new perspectives on gender justice issues. <em>The Woman of Courage</em> is a must read for theologians undergraduate and graduate students and all those interested in the intersection of religion and gender justice.
- By (author) Mmapula Diana Kebaneilwe
Similar Books
Extracanonical Traditions and the Holy Land
Texts, Rituals, and Material Culture in Late Antique Palestine
Punning in Odd or Elegant Constructions in Jeremiah
The Convergence of Linguistics, Rhetoric, and Textuality in the Hebrew Text of Jeremiah
Shame in the Worlds of the Hebrew Bible and Akkadian Texts
A Linguistic Study and Its Implications
Volume 33
The Body
Lived, Cultured, Adorned: Essays on Dress and the Body in the Bible and Ancient Near East in Honor of Nili S. Fox
The Therapeutae as the Best Paradigm for the Contemplative Life
A Contextual Reading of Philo of Alexandria's De Vita Contemplativa
Die Jüngerinnen und Jünger im Thomasevangelium
Ein narratologisch inspirierter Zugang zum Text als Einheit
Parola di Dio, di uomo e di Re
L'assoluta verità della Bibbia nella dottrina cattolica di Bacchisio Raimondo Motzo
Übergemeindliche Verbindungen in den Briefen der paulinischen Mission
Vorkommen, Bedeutung, Funktion und Plausibilität
Wie JHWH spricht
Die temporelle Steuerung von Verbalaussagen in den Reden nach den Gottesspruchformeln
Breaking New Ground in John
Imagery, Parables, Characters, Christology, and Ethics in the Fourth Gospel
Volume 531
But the Wise Shall Understand
Reuse of Prophecies, Chronotope, and Merging of Eschatological Horizons in Daniel 10-12
Creation Concepts and Creation Care
Perspectives from Early Judaism, Early Christianity, and Beyond. Kontexte und Normen neutestamentlicher Ethik / Contexts and Norms of New Testament Ethics XVII
De-colonising the Biblical Narrative. Volume 4
The Colonial Worldview of the Book of Joshua
Volume 4
Paul and Sacrifice in Corinth
Rethinking Paul's Views on Gentile Cults in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10
Volume 623
